# assault

Pronunciation: US say "uh-SAWLT" /əˈsɔlt/; UK say "uh-SOLT" /əˈsɒlt/

## Noun

1. A violent physical attack on a person or position, carried out with blows, weapons, or similar force.
   - Simple: A violent physical attack on someone, using fists, weapons, or other force.
   - _The rebel forces mounted a coordinated assault against the capital._
   - _He was hospitalized after a brutal assault outside the bar._
3. The criminal offense consisting of an unlawful attack on, or attempt to harm, another person.
   - Simple: The crime of attacking or trying to hurt another person.
   - _The defendant faced charges of assault and battery._
   - _Prosecutors must prove intent to secure a conviction for assault._
4. A fierce verbal attack on someone, delivered through insults, harsh criticism, and the like.
   - Simple: A fierce attack on someone using angry words, insults, or criticism.
   - _The senator endured a verbal assault from furious constituents._
   - _His memoir is one long assault on his former colleagues._
5. An act that makes another person fear immediate bodily harm, such as raising a fist or brandishing a weapon.
   - Simple: An action that makes someone fear they are about to be hurt.
   - _The raised bat alone constituted an assault under the statute._
   - _Lunging at the cashier with clenched fists amounted to an assault._
6. A willful, violent attempt or effort to harm another person, even without touching them: for instance by raising a fist threateningly or striking and missing.
   - Simple: A violent attempt to hurt someone, even when no blow actually lands.
   - _The court ruled that the thrown punch, though it missed, was an assault._
   - _Lunging to strike the referee, even without landing the blow, constituted an assault._
7. The civil wrong, actionable in a lawsuit, of intentionally causing another person to fear imminent bodily harm.
   - Simple: The civil wrong of making someone fear harm, which they can sue over.
   - _He brought a civil claim for assault, seeking damages for his fear and distress._
   - _Victims can recover compensation for assault even when no physical injury occurred._
9. A friendly bout between two fencers, fought outside any competition rather than as a contest to be won.
   - Simple: A friendly fight between two fencers that is not part of a contest.
   - _The fencing coach paired the beginners for a light assault to warm up._
   - _After the lesson, the fencers held a relaxed assault on the practice strip._

## Verb

2. To set upon and attack someone or something, whether with physical force or, figuratively, with a barrage of words.
   - Simple: To attack someone or something, with force or with strong words.
   - _Demonstrators threatened to assault the barricade if the talks failed._
   - _Sharp editorials assaulted the mayor's record all week._
8. To menace or harass someone with threats or unwanted pressure.
   - Simple: To keep threatening or bothering someone.
   - _Trolls continued to assault the journalist with menacing messages._
   - _He was accused of assaulting his neighbor with repeated threats._

## Origin

From Middle English assaut, from the Old French noun assaut, which came from the verb assalir, going back to Late Latin assalīre and Latin ad ('at, towards') plus salīre ('jump'). The spelling was Latinized around 1530 to add an 'l'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/assault (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).